


Hanahaki Disease

by Narrissic



Series: Ereri [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Fluff, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Pining, eren is 18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26455312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narrissic/pseuds/Narrissic
Summary: “I love you, Heichou, so please-“ Eren took Levi’s hand in a tight squeeze. “-get better.”Levi stared at him, blinking, and swallowed.“Brat.. you really think a kiss is gonna make all my problems go away?” he inquired, but stopped.
Relationships: Levi & Eren Yeager, Levi/Eren Yeager
Series: Ereri [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1923106
Kudos: 110





	Hanahaki Disease

**Author's Note:**

> Levi has Hanahaki Disease.
> 
> Hanahaki Disease is a fictional disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. It ends when the beloved returns their feelings (romantic love only; strong friendship is not enough), or when the victim dies.

Back in Levi's private quarters, after dinner in the mess hall (watching Eren with his friends) is when the coughing began. 

He thought nothing of it at first, a simple cold or flu perhaps. 

But the more Levi coughed through worse it became until-

Levi hacked up something soft and wet and in the palm of his hand two thoughts registered: one, tjat this was disgusting, and two- it was a flower. 

Rosy petals graced the palm of his hand.

"What..?" He thought aloud, and crushed it in his palm.

This was ridiculous. 

But the petals didn't stop, and the coughing fits came in waves at the worst of times, like right now, a week following when it began. 

"Captain?" The knocking continued. “Captain, can I come in? ..Are you okay?”

‘Eren, that shit,’ Levi thought as he bent over the sink basin, coughing. The presence of Eren may even be making the flowers worse. 

Roses and red spider lilies spilled out of Levi’s mouth and into the sink. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think without air. 

He thought, distantly, the flowers were stopping him from breathing. 

“Heichou, I’m here! I brought- oh fuck fuck-“

Levi was brought down onto his knees as he hacked and coughed and he couldn’t even stop himself from Eren hitting his back or holding him in that moment.

He couldn’t even tell him to fuck off. 

“What’re you-“

Eren placed a cold, damp washcloth over Levi’s head, despite the presence of a fever. 

“Does.. did that help?”

“I-“ Levi began, and gagged again.  
-  
Now, Levi laid on his deathbed.

He saw no visitors- anyone that tried was promptly kicked out with the exception of those he couldn’t, like Hange who tried to help examine the flower that had grown out of Levi’s face, and Eren.

The only reason Eren wasn’t was because he was so damn stubborn Levi couldn’t turn him away. 

Flowers littered the bed and floor of his room. He’d stopped trying to clean them up. 

A knock on his door. 

Goddammit Hange, couldn’t he just be left alone to die? 

“Captain?”

The door opened without Levi’s consent, which was grounds to kick whoever it was out anyway, but there was Eren, looking downtrodden and concerned as ever. 

He sighed, then coughed. 

“Well, come in I guess,” he said, and before he knew it Eren took his place beside Levi’s bed. 

“Levi,” Eren began. “You’re better than this! You’re- you’re Humanity’s Strongest! You can’t just-“

“What,” Levi rebutted. “Die? Everyone dies, Eren. I’m no exception.” 

Eren’s eyes widened and he turned red. 

“But from- some disease, that isn’t contagious, and we don’t even know where it came from!? No! I won’t let it happen!”

Levi was filled with such admiration it made him sick, literally. 

“Eren-“ he got out, before a new eruption of flowers.

Levi keeled over, coughing, and Eren put his hand on the captain’s shoulder. 

“Heichou! Are you okay!?”

Clearly he wasn’t.

With more petals spilled over the bedsheets, Levi couldn’t muster within himself to even ask for Hange anymore. He was going to die. 

Clearly he voiced that thought, as Eren, tearing up, wiped Levi’s mouth with his sleeve. 

“But.. I care about you.. I..” 

And then he was leaning in and Levi was doing nothing about it. His face was red, be it from coughing or Eren’s closeness, and his heart was pounding out of his chest. 

Eren kissed him, nothing more than a graze of the lips, but still managing to leave Levi breathless.

“I love you, Heichou, so please-“ Eren took Levi’s hand in a tight squeeze. “-get better.”

Levi stared at him, blinking, and swallowed. 

“Brat.. you really think a kiss is gonna make all my problems go away?” he inquired, but stopped. He felt better all the sudden.

“My dad was a doctor,” Eren said, and left it at that.  
-  
Eren stayed with Levi the whole night, cleaning up flowers Levi had failed to, reading, drawing, anything to make himself useful while Levi slept- soundly.

Most of the time Eren would just hold his hand. 

He didn’t cough the whole night, and in the following morning, Levi found he could breathe better than before. 

In fact, he sat up in bed, carefully as to not wake Eren, who incidentally was drooling all over his hand.

‘Disgusting’, he thought, then sighed. Affection rolled over him, and then he realized he hadn’t coughed. In fact he had gone the whole night without waking once. 

“Heichou..?” Eren mumbled, and sat up. “Oh shit, your hand, I’m so sorry Levi, I’ll get some tissues-“

“Stop, Eren.” 

Eren stopped.

“I’m feeling better.”

Elation spread across Eren’s face. “Really!? Does that mean-“

“What did you mean last night, brat, when you told me you loved me.” Levi looked flatly at the bedsheets. “Because I may be wrong, but I think what you meant is the matter of life and death here.”

“I know,” Eren motioned to the bed. “Can I sit with you?”

“You’re already sitting with me. And answer the damn question.”

Eren sighed, and moved to sit on the bed anyway. 

“I meant- that I love you. I care about your wellbeing, I look up to you. You mean- everything, more to me than just.. a comrade or a captain.. sir.”

“More than that, huh,” Levi mumbled, and breathed. The flower that had grown out of his skin fell away suddenly, as if it had just been plucked. 

Levi and Eren shared a glance, and Eren picked it up. 

“These flowers.. it’s almost like they’re a sign of love or something. I remember my Dad talking about them..” Eren shared Levi’s gaze. “Something about.. love. You could’ve died from this.”

“You’re saying I love you, aren’t you?” Levi inquired quietly, almost not believing it himself, and then all at once, it hit him, and he leaned forward in the bed. “Fuck.”

“I love you too,” Eren offered, and took his hand again. 

His hand is so soft, Levi thought, and no eruption of flowers came this time. 

Or any time after that.


End file.
